A Tale of Two Kingdoms
by xo Secret Rendezvous x
Summary: Sesshoumaru, the Lord of the Western Lands. Nyria, the heir to the throne of the Southern Lands. Two completely different personalities. What happens when the two meet, one hidden under disguise? Chaos, romance, battles of the wills, pranks, and more.
1. The Big Bad Wolf & the Magical Kitten

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters created within the story of Inuyasha.

**Author's Note: **It has been a long time since I wrote a fanfiction. I have been reading a lot of Inuyasha fanfictions here lately and it's given me the itch to write again. So here I am, attempting to do just that. I hope you enjoy this, and don't forget to leave me some reviews, okay? (:

**Chapter One**

Lady Nyria had a secret. A secret she hadn't confided in anyone. She was a princess of sorts . . . she was, in fact, the heir to her father's throne in the Southern Lands someday. Yet here she was, with her jet black hair and silver eyes concealed with a spell. She was in a land that wasn't here own: the Western Lands, watched over by Lord Sesshoumaru. To anyone who looked at her, she had violet eyes and blonde hair. Her markings, the ones that would prove her status as somewhat royalty, were hidden by her little spell as well. There was nothing special about her amongst the other demons here, not even the impressive sword hanging by her side. She liked to challenge the soldiers in this "arena," a place that had been created for demons - both soldiers and not - to train with swords or hands, a place where sparring matches took place, and duels, of course.

So what was her secret? She was a princess with a disguise meant to get her out from under her father's scrutiny for awhile, allowing her to come and go as she please. Leaving her father's grounds as a Lady, wandering as a rogue, and returning a Lady. She clung to this disguise, this freedom, more tightly than she ever had anything else.

The young woman was freshly turned one hundred, though in appearance one would think her to be only around seventeen, her birthday just two short months beforehand. She was getting to a certain point where her father was itching for her to find a worthy suitor that would someday take his daughter's side in his throne. Her father was hoping she would soon find the man that would be her King, her mate. But she was just not interested in looking for him at this moment in time. She was much more interested in a particular match going on between a young kitsune and a crow demon a good many years his senior. The younger man had the upper hand as far as his youth and agility, but the older man had experience, had probably been to battle before. They were quite evenly matched and it was fun to watch.

She grinned and played with the hilt of her own sword, eyes sweeping over the different demons loitering around the place. One of them might possibly become her exercise for the day. She was certainly not afraid of being knocked around a little bit and she knew when to back off and admit defeat. She enjoyed her swordplay, finding it a good way to work off her excess energy. She singled one out. Probably not much older than her, he seemed to be watching the same match; a wolf demon, it looked like. She sauntered over to him and smirked slightly, "Hello there," she purred. He immediately turned to her and grinned, certainly not expecting a challenge from a woman, a kitten, no less.

He arched a brow when he did see the sword at her hip and stifled a laugh, "What is a girl doing with a sword?" he laughed aloud when he said this, but before he could regain his composure, the sword was out and Nyria had skipped backwards a few steps, smiling at him innocently.

"Care to show me why girls shouldn't play with swords, then?" she asked, dropping into a defensive stance as he stood there staring, not sure whether to accept the challenge or not. When she seemed to be serious, he smirked and pulled his own sword, dropping into a crouch before hurling himself at her, intent on knocking the girl's sword quickly from her grip and ending this little joke.

Nyria moved quickly to the side and spun around, sword held in front of her. She watched in amusement as the man landed and turned to face her, visibly shocked that she had moved out of his way and dodged his attack. Some people had gathered to watch them, a few of them snickering at the wolf unable to land a simple blow on a kitten playing swordsman . . . or woman, rather. He growled, his face red with embarassment and charged the woman again. This time, instead of moving out of his way, Nyria braced her sword, stopping him in his tracks. The loud clash of the swords was music to her ears but seemed to only make the man more angry, which in turn only caused her more amusement.

"You little wench, you will learn your place," he hissed, rearing back and pushing forward, trying to knock her off balance. But instead of this going the way he had planned, she ducked and rolled under his sword, standing once more once she was behind him, facing his back with a smirk. In a flash, she was standing, arm wrapped around him with her sword pressed to his throat, a smirk on her face. Some unseen force coming off of the neko was keeping him from moving to retaliate, holding him in his place in front of the girl.

Before he could really comprehend what she had done, she had pressed until her sword caused a small cut, blood trickling from it. "What did you say about learning my place?" she murmured, before releasing him, both from her sword and her spell. He spun around, his hand going to his throat, his entire body trembling from the embarassment and anger he was feeling. Nyria shrugged him off, she had beaten him, and it was time for her to go home.

Without another word, she spun and moved to leave the place. Before she had gone a few steps, the wolf leapt forward with a snarl, bringing the hilt of his sword crashing down across the back of her head. The woman let out a yelp and stumbled forward, grasping the back of her head, feeling a warm, sticky liquid seeping into her hair. Her vision swam for a moment and she tried to regain her balance. Without success. The next moment, her knees gave out and sent her in the direction of the ground. However, there was never any such collision.

She felt strong arms catch her, then lay her gently on the ground, then all was black.

Sesshoumaru caught the girl as she fell. He had been watching her little match, impressed by the girl. She was a neko, judging by her scent. She was matched well with the wolf, though she had had the upper hand on speed. He had found the wolf demon lacking in both skill and the manners department with his rude comments made during their fight. A sparring match was meant for swords and swords alone; it was not a place for a verbal warfare. However, the young neko had taken it and thrown it back in his face, which Sesshoumaru had inwardly smirked out. On the outside, he held no expression, but he would admit to himself that she was impressive.

When the wolf had struck with the neko's back turned, Sesshoumaru had growled and rushed forward, catching the girl before she could completely fall. Then he had turned to a terrified wolf demon. The infamous taiyoukai stood before him and all the demon could do was bow to one knee and lower his head, "My lord, I was not aware of your presence in this place," he murmured, voice dripping with the fear that had his body trembling.

Sesshoumaru stood for another moment, simply watching the wolf with a silent, stoic expression. "I do not appreciate such acts of cowardice coming from an inhabitant of my lands," he said, more to himself than the wolf. Without further warning and before most could tell what he was doing, Sesshoumaru had his sword out and across the wolf's sword-weilding arm. The wolf howled in pain as the hand was slice clean from the arm, separated at the wrist. The hand that had been holding his sword fell to the ground, blood starting to pour from the wrist. "Maybe that will teach you not to attack others when their back is turned, especially when they fairly beat you in a match, pup," he said, no emotion in his voice.

Turning his attention to one of his guards that had accompanied him to the arena, Sesshoumaru made a gesture towards the neko, "Bring her," he murmured before turning and walking from the arena, ignoring the wide-eyed looks of several of the demons standing around him.

The guard he had spoken to moved quickly forward to lift the woman and follow after his lord. The guard was a little older than Sesshoumaru, though one couldn't tell it by appearance, as was common amongst youkai. He had bright orange hair, green eyes, and six tails fluttering behind him. He was not a high ranking officer in Sesshoumaru's castle, but he was trusted enough to accompany Sesshoumaru every now and then. The kitsune was still a pup in the eyes of the generals of Sesshoumaru's soldiers, after all. It would be many years before he was advanced enough to move up in the ranks. He cradled the neko gently, the blood from her head seeping against his arm.

He could tell the wound wasn't a bad one, nor was it life-threatening. It had just been hard enough to knock the girl into unconsciousness. She would wake soon. There was something off about her, though. Something wasn't right. He sniffed the air and shrugged. He didn't know what it was, but if Lord Sesshoumaru didn't think anything of it, then neither would he.

The kitsune followed the taiyoukai, Sesshoumaru never saying a word. They weren't far from his fortress, his home. He had left Rin with Jakken, safe in the confines of the "castle," if you will. He could smell the neko's blood in her hair, mixed with her own scent of vanilla and raspberries . . . a strange scent. She obviously kept herself clean; he could smell barely any kind of dirt or grime on the girl, other than the metallic scent of blood, of course. Most roaming demons usually stunk of something or another, rarely bathing. To add to that, he had taken note of the quality of the sword she had been using, as well as her skill in using it. He wanted to know who this demon was, wandering around his lands, and he intended to find out.

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**Author's Note: **Well, that's it for the first chapter. What do you think? Leave me some reviews so I know if anyone is interested in seeing this story progress, okay? (:


	2. A Princess Revealed

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters related to the story of Inuyasha.

**Author's Note: **Just wanted to say, thanks to AquaGrace, for the awesoem first review. I'm glad you like it and hope I don't disappoint you. Hope you enjoy the story as it keeps going.

**Chapter Two**

A bandage had been wrapped around her head. That was the first thing Nyria noticed when she woke from her sleep. The second thing she noticed was that her head was pounding. That would pass, though. And third, she was in a room, but it was not her room nor any room she recognized, for that matter.

With all of these things coming to her, ordered and put into place in her head, Nyria bolted upright, swinging herself out of the bed and onto the floor. She crouched, eyes narrowed, searching the room for a clue as to what was going on. She saw her sword, propped by the wall of the bed. She took in her clothing, changed from the dirty outfit she had worn at the arena to a simple violet kimono with a paler purple sash and a design of white flowers decorating it.

Nyria gasped, her thoughts turning to her disguise. Where was she, and who was she for that matter? She reached up and grabbed a clump of hair, sighing in relief when she found blonde instead of black. That meant everything was still in place. Now the question was: Where was she?

No sooner had she thought this, there was a soft knock on the door. A kitsune opened the door when she did not answer, taking care not to step too far into the woman's temporary chambers, "Miss, you have finally woken up. It's been a good hour or so since we finished bandaging you," he said with a small bow, "Lord Sesshoumaru will be pleased that you have come to."

Lord Sesshoumaru? Nyria's eyes widened and a hiss came from her throat. This was not good. Her father was going to be looking for her soon. She searched her mind frantically for an answer. Grasping at the first thing that came to mind, she rushed forward, grabbing the kitsune's hand, placing a kiss on the back of it, "Thank you, I appreciate the help granted me by the Lord Sesshoumaru." She lifted her head and looked at the astonished Kit, then went on, "But I must be on my way."

Releasing his hand, she turned to quickly grab her sword, holding it so tightly that her knuckles paled. The kitsune just watched her and shook his head, not quite sure how to react to the lady. Before she could move past him or he could say anything further, there was a voice behind him, "Ah, so the lady has decided to wake up." The voice was smooth, calm, and velvety.

Nyria's muscles tensed as she took a step backwards. The kitsune stepped aside and dropped into a deep bow, revealing none other than Lord Sesshoumaru. Well so much for a quick, undetected escape. Nyria would have groaned, but she reigned the urge in and forced a smile to her lips, "Thank you for your generosity, my lord. I will have to track that fiend down and teach him some manners in the ring," she said, laughing nervously.

Sesshoumaru stared down at her, not sharing in her amusement, then waved a hand dismissively, "No need for that, unless you choose to take revenge on him. I took it upon myself to teach the pup some manners. I don't think he will be playing with swords any time soon, unless he can master the blade in his opposite, remaining hand."

Realizing what the inu-youkai was saying, Nyria felt the urge to roll her eyes. She could have taken care of the situation without cutting the man's hand off. But cats and dogs were definitely two different types, even as demons. However, not wanting to seem rude, she bowed her head, "Thank you, m'lord, but I must be getting home. My father will be getting worried." So that wasn't a total lie. Besides that, her concealment spell wasn't going to last forever. She could feel the magic slipping out of her grasp as she spoke.

The kitsune's fingers twitched, feeling the magic dancing around the girl as she fought to cling to it. He let out a soft growl, catching both the attention of the demon lord and the neko. His eyes locked with Nyria's and he could see fear swimming in their depths, but he could also see the violet shifting, slowly fading to silver.

"My Lord Sesshoumaru, I do not believe that lady is as she appears to be," the kitsune murmured, never taking his eyes from the girls.

Nyria wanted to hiss, to reach out and claw the kitsune's eyes out of his head, but she restrained herself. She moved her eyes back to the inu and noticed his eyes now on her as well. He stepped forward, grabbing her chin almost roughly and forcing her face upward so her could see her eyes.

"Neko, what is the meaning of this?" he growled, reaching out to lift a strand of hair with one clawed finger. It seemed as though ink were spilling from the roots, making its way down to stain the strands, all the way to the tips. Her eyes were completely silver, her hair was jet black . . . that meant only one thing was left.

Nyria did hiss this time, pulling her chin from the inu's grip and jerking her hair out of his reach. As she took a few steps back, Sesshoumaru's eyes were focused on something much more important than the color of her hair or eyes. The markings were barely visible at first, slowly darkening until their was no mistaking what they were.

A single, burgandy diamond sat in the center of her forehead, violet lined her eyes, and black stripes encircled her arms, creating a pattern much like that of a tiger's.

"You are the daughter of Haruki, the leader of the Southern Lands, are you not?" Sesshoumaru said this, not so much as a question, for her markings clearlt gave her away, but more as a statement. There was no arguing with it. "What are you doing so far from home, and in an arena of filth, no less?" He sounded much like her father.

Nyria narrowed her eyes at the inu and pulled her shoulders back, lifting her chin in defiance. Such was a stance she had taken to lately when dealing with her father. "Where I go and how I spend my free time is no business of yours, _Lord_ Sesshoumaru," she hissed, gripping the sword at her hip even more tightly.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side slightly, taking in the girl's stance, then shrugged, "Usually, no it's not. However, you are in my lands. What is your name?"

"My name is Nyria, and I only came to your lands because . . . well, the because if of no importance. All you need to know is I was here peacefully." She didn't like where this was going.

The kitsune standing by and observed the pair quietly, intrigued by the neko. He knew that the royal family of the Southern Lands possessed some magic, but hadn't know they were able to pull off any kind of concealment spell. Unless she was in league with a kitsune, herself, who had taught her to accomplish such a spell.

Sesshoumaru shrugged her off and turned, "I will let it pass this time, Lady Nyria, however next time you return to my lands, do it under your own name and face, or expect there to be consequences." He smirked once his back was turned. "You are free to go. Like you said, your father will be worrying soon, and we would hate for him to think you were trying to cause trouble in the Western Lands, wouldn't we?"

Hissing, Nyria turned and glanced at the open window. She looked outside, noting the trees outside of the window. She smirked, "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru, we wouldn't want that. I will see you again," she murmured, before turning and leaping from the window, into the trees. She would continue this way of travel, all the way back to the Southern border, where she leapt from the trees and to the ground. She ran at full speed all the way home, never looking back.

Lord Sesshoumaru turned when she took her leave through the window and just shook his head, "She could have used the door," he told his kitsune guard with a smirk, who only shrugged his shoulders in response to his lord's comment. The two of them stared at the window for a moment more before Sesshoumaru left the room, gesturing for the guard to follow him. Yes, he would be seeing her again. As the ruler of the Western Lands and the someday ruler of the Southern Lands, they were bound to meet again, whether they liked it or not.

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**Author's Note: **And that's all for Chapter Two. Thanks for reading. Make sure you review so I know what you thought. The more feedback I get, the more willing I'm going to be to move forward and update more. This and the first chapter were the only ones I have written so far. I may have another one up in a few days, *hint hint.*


	3. The Princess and Her Rotten Luck

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters related to the story of Inuyasha.

**Author's Note: **Okay, this is going to be it until I start getting reviews. I'm going to keep writing, but I'm not going to update til I get a few reviews. I want to know if you like what I'm doing or not. Give me the good and the bad, okay? Well, here we go.

**Chapter Three**

It had been several months since Nyria's brush with the Western Lord. Since that time, she had taken to wandering about her own lands, telling her father she was tired of staring at the walls of his fortress. He had given her his permission, as long as she checked in with him every now and then. She was able to roam freely, no disguise necessary for the first time since her mother had been killed, and she was thankful for her father's trust in her. She made sure to check in with him once every month.

However, this particular month, things did not go as smoothly as she would have liked.

"Father! I'm home!" she cried as she streaked through the hallways, too fast for any of the guards to stop her and warn her. She was excited about seeing her father and telling him of all the things she had seen in the past few weeks since her last visit. She was earlier in the month than normal; that was her first mistake.

As she crashed through the door of her father's office, she screeched to a halt. Oh no, please, let her be seeing things. That couldn't be him, not here, not in her home. "Oh, Nyria, I didn't expect you home so soon," Haruki said, rising from his seat behind his desk, frowning slightly.

A blush colored Nyria's cheeks as she looked from him to his silver haired visitor to the visiting lord's guard. It was him. And he had the same kitsune guard that had been with him that day. Where did all this rotten luck come from today? The kitsune had looked up when she made her entrance, smirking slightly at her obvious discomfort. She made a low, quick bow, before straightening up once more, returning her father's frown, "I'm sorry, father, I was unaware that you had guests," she murmured, thoroughly embarassed at the spectacle she had just made of herself.

Finally the visiting lord stood and faced her, recognition dawning on his face. He had caught her scent coming down the hallway, remembering it from their last encounter. His eyes fell on the color that had risen to her cheeks and he shook his head, "So this is the daughter you have spoken of, Lord Haruki. Full of life, isn't she?" His voice betrayed no underlying emotion, if there was any there at all to begin with, no teasing lilt to his speech.

Nyria just glared at the dog demon, blowing some hair from her face. She wasn't in the mood for his veiled wise cracks at her. Haruki just laughed at him, used to Sesshoumaru's personality, or lack thereof, as it were. He nodded, "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru, this is my daughter, Nyria. She's taken to wandering around on her own, adventuring, I suppose, while I am still around to take care of all the responsibilities." His own voice was light, jovial, almost the complete opposite of the icy demon standing on the other side of his desk. The entire time, the kitsune guard sat watching, amusement clear in his eyes, though he said nothing.

Pretending to have never met the man in her life, Nyria bowed once more, "It is a _pleasure_ to meet you, Lord Sesshoumaru," she purred, trying very hard to keep the sarcasm from her voice. It apparently worked well enough to fool her father, but not Sesshoumaru.

A frown flickered over his lips, barely there, then it was gone. He had the strongest urge to roll his eyes at the girl, but instead simply nodded, "As it is you, Lady Nyria. Perhaps next time, you will proceed with more caution. Your father is a busy man with many responsibilities, ones you will some day have to shoulder." He was scolding her, in her father's study. Was he serious? Her cheeks stained red, anger boiling through her blood, but before she could say anything in her defense, Sesshoumaru looked back towards her father, "This has been a very productive meeting, Haruki. I think it is time for me to take my leave, let you catch up with your daughter."

The two bowed to one another, then Sesshoumaru flicked his wrist at the kitsune. Sesshoumaru brushed past Nyria without a word, the sleeve of his kimono brushing her arm. The kitsune smirked at her and bowed before excusing himself around her to follow his master. Oh, that Sesshoumaru got under her skin in more ways than anyone else had ever done before in her life. Stupid dogs.

Nyria sighed and turned to her father, smiling sheepishly, "Sorry about that. Want to hear about my time on the outside?" she asked him, grinning when he nodded his consent. She rushed forward and settled into the chair that Sesshoumaru had just vacated. She could smell the light scent of dog, mixed with the sweet smell of rain. She shook her head and started in on her tales, her hands moving with her words, while her father sat, watching his young daughter with a father's adoration on his face.

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**Author's Note: **Okay, that's it. I may work on another chapter tomorrow, but it's almost 12:30 now and I need to get to bed. I will post another chapter when I get some reviews, so hurry up and get to it, okay? 'Night!


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